


Under The Stars

by ready_to_kick_some_ass



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Dogs, F/M, Fluff, Kissing, Perthshire Cottage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 14:08:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17726675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ready_to_kick_some_ass/pseuds/ready_to_kick_some_ass
Summary: Written for the @quakeriderwritersguild Valentine's Day Challenge.Prompt: “Soft kiss whilst looking at the stars”Jemma and Fitz are finally home. Home is a cottage in the beautiful countryside of Perthshire. Home is sitting on a meadow together, watching the stars.





	Under The Stars

When Jemma leaves the cottage, carrying a basket, she is met by pleasently warm air which smells faintly of a combination of lavender and the typical fresh green whiff of nearly untouched countryside. There’s barely any cloud on the light blue sky. The sun and her mild warmth meet no barrier. From time to time, there’s a soft breeze, rustling through the trees. Spring is about to change into summer.

Jemma has always enjoyed this transition between the two seasons.

The evenings are mild. They will be able to sit on the porch until it’s late in the night and the shyest animals leave the forest nearby to explore the meadows around. They’ve seen so many animals since they arrived here. Deer, foxes, even a badger once. Everything that has slept over winter and early spring comes to life now. There are wild berries and fruits everywhere. It's a lively time.

Jemma carries her basket to a nice even spot on the wildflower-covered meadow in front of their cottage. It allows a perfect view on the dark green hills rising and falling like giant waves in the distance and the place where the sun is going to set later. She pulls a blanket out of her basket and spreads it out on the grass, sitting down on it for a moment to rest.

She looks up at the blue sky and thinks how beautiful it will be to see the stars today, when she hears a bark nearby. A smile spreads on her face. She would recognize this specific happy bark everywhere.

Jemma turns around and her smile widens when she sees Fitz approaching, with their dog Bailey trotting beside him. When the black-white [Smooth Collie](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Welsh_Sheepdog.jpg) spots Jemma on the blanket, his ears twitch up and he runs towards her, his tail starting to wag furiously. He reaches her in the matter of a heartbeat and she’s immediately covered in dog kisses.

“Hey Bailey,” she says, laughing when the dog licks her chin and makes content grunting noises in the back of his throat. “I’m glad to see you too.”

“I would kiss you,” Fitz says, when he reaches her, hands buried in the pockets of his cardigan. “But someone has been faster than me.” He pouts playfully and Jemma giggles.

“Here,” she gracefully raises her hand. “This is the last spot free of dog kisses. Hurry.”

Fitz grins. He bends and kisses the back of her hand feather lightly.

“What are you doing?” He asks her and looks at the basket curiously.

“Oh, I thought we could celebrate the start of summer with an evening picnic,” Jemma says, putting a few small stones on the ends of the blanket to keep it straight. “To watch the sunset. And the stars later.”

Fitz smiles. “Sounds great. I'm starving. Turned out Mrs. Anderson's vehicle was a bit more difficult to repair than I'd previously expected. Sandwiches?”

“Sandwiches. And fruit salad. And a cake for Bailey.”

Bailey chooses this exact moment to howl in joy and Fitz and Jemma laugh, as they watch their goofy dog rolling around in the grass, his tongue sticking out.

Bailey is an integral part of their life in Perthshire now and they couldn’t imagine how it would be without him.

But the backstory of how they met is still present in their memory. Just as Fitz and Jemma have their scars from the past, which sometimes still tear open and cause them panic attacks or nightmares, even after almost a year of regular therapy by now, Bailey has his own scars.

They met him every time they took a walk to the nearby village and passed the huge farm the Smooth Collie was living on.

Bailey has always been held on a short chain. He was standing with his soft paws on rough concrete, never able to reach the soft grass of the meadow in front of the yard. Whenever Fitz and Jemma walked past the farm house, he barked loudly, standing on his rear legs pulling at the chain, choking himself in the process, while his fore-paws were kicking the air furiously. Fitz always said the barking didn’t sound aggressive, rather desperate. Sad.

Bailey’s owner, Arthur Webster, had a bad reputation in the village nearby, Fitz and Jemma soon found out in a little café in the village. People said he treated his animals like expendable objects and his workers like scum. No one really wanted to have anything to do with the coarse farmer. And that was why Webster couldn’t find anyone who would repair his damaged tractor.

At that information, Fitz had looked up from his tea and there was a grim determination in his eyes Jemma knew that look only too well. She sensed what he was about to do and let him. Because she couldn’t bear to walk past this poor dog one more time.

The next Sunday, Fitz repaired Webster’s tractor for free and offered a huge amount of money for Bailey.  

Fitz told her later, that Webster had broken into a fit of laughter and immediately said of course Fitz could take “this useless piece of misbred worthlessness" if he wants to. Fitz had a tough time not to punch Webster right in the face. But he left the farm with Bailey and without his money.

"Now we have a herding dog," he said to Jemma, when he stood in front of the cottage with Bailey on a leash, grinning crookedly. "We only need some sheeps and we're good."

In the first few days, Bailey seemed confused and scared. He wasn’t aggressive. He only hid under the table and wouldn’t come out, his wide eyes fearful and pleading. Fitz sat beside the table for hours, murmuring soothingly, until the dog finally dared to put his head out and let Fitz pat him.

The worst thing Jemma can remember was the vet visit. Bailey was underweight and hadn't received any of the usually required vaccinations. The scared dog was trembling and whining pitifully, while the vet listened to his heart and gave him a few injections. Fitz was stroking him the whole time and Jemma sensed his determination to help this neglected dog. She felt it herself. And she hoped that Bailey could sense it too.  
  
They did their best to make it comfortable for the Smooth Collie and to show him, that he didn't have to be scared. And suddenly everything happened very quick. Bailey changed from a shy dog with his tail between his legs to a joyful agile creature, happy about every praise and display of affection, in a matter of days.

And now he doesn’t leave Fitz’s side anymore.

He still goes to Jemma for cuddles and shows her how much he loves her with his dog kisses, but he clings to Fitz like a second shadow. Jemma isn’t jealous about that. Quite the contrary. She thinks they are good for each other.

Although he had been a watchdog for the most part of his short life, Bailey proved to be surprisingly helpful in crisis.

When Fitz has a panic attack, Bailey doesn’t leave his side for a second, letting Fitz press his face into his fur as long as it needs for him to calm down. When Jemma has a nightmare, Bailey hops on the bed to lay beside her and she calms down while stroking through soft fur, soon falling back asleep soon. Bailey is marvellous. A silent comforter, patient and loving.

And Jemma is sure he will be just as marvellous with the baby.

Speaking of which … she puts her hand on her baby bump, that’s quite noticeable by now and smiles. “The little star has been busy today,” she says softly. “Has been kicking me all day.”

“Really?” Fitz’s eyes lit up. He moves to sit beside her and carefully lays his hand on her belly, holding his breath. They have to wait a moment, but soon, there’s another soft kick and they both gasp, beaming at each other.

“I can’t wait,” Fitz breathes.

“I know,” Jemma answers, taking his hand. “Soon …”

Fitz gulps and looks a bit alarmed. He anxiously fumbles with the buttons of his cardigan. “You’re sure we have taken care of everything? What’s with the bag for the hospital. And we still didn’t pick out the best route, what if there’s too much traffic everywhere and we're stuck in the countryside with no help and I'm going to be useless and …”

“Fitz calm down. It’s not that soon!” Jemma laughs and shakes her head. She reaches inside the basket and hands him a sandwich. Of course she's nervous too from time to time. But there's still more than enough time to prepare and she knows Fitz is going to be amazing. He already is. There's a huge pile of books on his desk about everything in regard to baby proofing the flat, the best ways to help a baby falling back asleep and countless more. Not to speak of the craddle he designed. And the fact, that he said "of course Jemma" without even hesitating for a second, when she asked him a bit anxiously, if he's going to stay with her, when it's time. She heard that a lot of men prefer to not be present. She really wants to have Fitz there.

They eat and talk about some of their plans for the future. Family holidays, dinners with their friends, first school day ... Wonderfully normal things. Like almost always, they end up playfully arguing over some baby names at some point. Jemma just can't believe Fitz would want to name their son after his great grandfather Angus - _Angus!_ She says it's a sort of cattle, while Fitz explains it's actually coming from the Scottish Gaelic word Aonghas ... - and she pokes him in the side until he admits he's just joking. They both tend more to Christopher.

After he’s been futilely trying to catch some doves for a while, Bailey joins them, laying down in the grass beside them, putting his head on his paws.

When they finished eating, they fetch a few fuzzy blankets from the cottage. Wrapped in them, they lay on their back beside each other, holding hands and staring up at the darkening sky.

They need to wait a while until the sun sets, but it’s alright. They have time. There’s nothing going to happen. There’s no danger. No one is needing their help. It’s just them and they can finally take their time to be together and feel life, instead of just watching it passing them by.  

At some point, Jemma lays her head on Fitz’s chest and he lazily runs his hand through her hair in an even, almost hypnotizing rhythm.

It's getting dark around them but it's the kind of mild unalarming darkness that's sprenkled with countless beautiful spots of light.

The stars are spectacular tonight.

The sit up, leaning against each other and just stare at the sparkling night sky for a while.

“The stars are so much nicer when you watch them from earth,” Jemma eventually murmurs.

Fitz nods. “Yeah.”

They don’t need to speak their thought out, because they know they have the same one. No more space. Never again. It’s just as dark and cold as the bottom of the ocean.

There's a shooting star flaming over the sky for a second. Jemma hears the voice of her mother echoing in her head. _Make a wish, love._ Right now, she can't even think of one. She's exactly where she wants to be.

She looks at Fitz, who smiles at her and takes her hand. “I’m so glad you’re here with me,” he tells her.

“I’m glad too. We’re home, Fitz. Finally,” she says and they lock eyes, fading out the world as there’s only them and the love they share with every single word, look, touch, breath.

They kiss. It’s soft and slow.  
Warm lips and shared breaths.  
Their hands intertwine tightly, not going to let go. Never again.

They kiss softly under the stars and everything’s alright.

They’re home.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not a native speaker and always grateful for being corrected! I'm constantly trying to improve my English, so please don't hesitate to tell me about mistakes. <3
> 
> Visit me on tumblr: [ready-to-kick-some-ass](https://ready-to-kick-some-ass.tumblr.com/) :)


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